Thousands flock to Grand Mosque

Thousands of worshipers perform Isha and Taraweeh prayers at the Grand Mosque in Makkah on Thursday. (SPA)

 Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims and visitors from in and outside the country are arriving at the Grand Mosque in Makkah to spend the last 10 days of the holy month within the vicinity of the Haram.

As Makkah witnesses a huge increase in its population at this time each year, all relevant government and private entities are directing all their energies to provide the best services for visitors, as directed by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif.

The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques assigned a force of more than 10,000 people working around the clock to ensure pilgrims perform their rituals with ease.

The Presidency is providing several services including religious lessons delivered by a number of scholars and teachers, distribution of Qur’an copies — 1,000 a day — and guidance leaflets, and providing wheelchairs to those who need them.

Makkah municipality staff continue to conduct field inspections of foodstuff shops, check public and private slaughterhouses, as well as maintain roads and water drainage networks.

Civil Defense has occupied 50 points inside and around the mosque, and 70 in peak times, to aid those in need, with each equipped with vehicles for moving ill pilgrims to the nearest health care center.